Quick Summer Recap

Summer was amazing.   We saw friends and most of our family.  River trips, hiking, surfing, water parks, camping.  This may have been the best summer ever.  I love the order and predictability of the school year, but I'm already looking forward to June 6, 2014.

Cousins at the beach house

Miriam on Timp

All the Tano cousins

Rafting the Provo river with Tenney

Mount Hood

Windy Oregon Coast with Ben's kids

Rafting the Deschutes in Oregon

Spring Break

It's Spring Break!!!

The kids are home this week.  On Monday, I tried to do my usual Monday things.  Clean the kitchen, vacuum, laundry.  But those kids just got in the way!  They wanted to play!  So on Monday night, I realized that I had better make a plan for the week.  One with limited work and maximum FUN.  So we have had playdates galore, hiking with friends, and are planning a trip to the caves on Saturday.  Jesse took them to work today, which freed me up to finish the taxes!  Yay! 

We were thinking of going to Chicago and then to Appleton to look at houses, but with Jesse just back from his trip to Hawaii and me feeling a little overburdened solo parenting last week, it just sounded like a silly idea.  And since we really don't need to close on a house until July, there is no rush just yet.  We'll go up sometime next month and hopefully the home of our dreams will be available.  Or at least one we like enough to sink our savings into! (and that tax return)

Gwyn's Valentine's Party

Little Gwyn made a sad face after Miriam's birthday and said "I've never had a friend party."
Jesse and I looked at each other and realized "she's right!"
Oh, what a sad first six years.  A December birthday has some major drawbacks.  No friends.  So sad.

This year we shook things up and had a Valentine's party for G and her friends.  A Friend Party!  Yay!
We started by making cards.  The girls were busy for 45 minutes.  They would not be budged. 

We played some games.  Pin the Nose on the Snowman got turned around and became Boring Horse to Fancy Unicorn. 

We decorated pink sugar bombs aka cupcakes. 

We had a little lunch of sandwiches, veggie tray, apples, and apple juice.  We sent the bombs home with the kids so very little sugar was eaten on our premises. 

This was the easiest party ever.  I loved that there were no gift bags, no gifts, just FUN.  I believe we may have started a new tradition! 

Turkey Runs Again

Before the snow melted last week, we went to Turkey Run State Park to see if we could fall off a cliff or two while slogging through the snow.

Mention a hiking trip and there is sure to be whining.  It can get very disheartening very quickly.  This trip was no exception.  Although five minutes into it Gwyn said, "I'm behind because I'm looking at how beautiful it is here."  Finally!

J didn't try to pick trails with sheer cliffs and only slabs of ice to walk on, but alas, that's what happened.  We had hiked each of the trails previously, but never when they were covered with snow/freezing rain/ice pack.   Needless to say, we made it back safely.  No one was injured during this adventure.  And we will stick to less cliffy terrain for our next snow hike (if there is one this season).

G became very interested in reading the map to figure out where we were.  It was so very Jesse like.

We sure wish any of you had been there with us.  It wasn't even that cold!  And it was Beautiful, just ask Gwyn.

A Very Happy Ninth

This is just a touch late.  Not even a month yet.  Yay for Mom's who finally download pictures! 

Spoons was less of a hit than I thought it would be.  Maybe in a year or two.

I'm not sure how it happened, but we can't be super pumped for anything here.  Miriam's party was incredibly mellow, even though there were 10 kids, tons of balloons, presents, and raucous games of duck, duck, goose and spoons.  Two hour parties are short, fun, perfect. 

Pin the carrot on the snowman. 

 I had a mini breakdown because the cake got stuck in the pan.  A whole bunch of frosting, a mess of gummy worms, and no one was the wiser.  Crisis averted, thank you calmingJesse.  He's like one of those herbal teas.  Perhaps we can package him and market him to stressed party planners everywhere.

We ended the party with Lego building.  Everyone made some sort of creation.  Yay for 43 pounds of Lego fun!

Lego Fans of the Midwest Unite

Mark your calendars Lego friends.  Brickworld Indy is happening March 19-20. 
Giant sculptures made out of Legos.  Tons of kids and adults who play with Legos.  Can you say FUN?
You know we'll be there. 

Finally! Some FUN in 2011!

It's hard to be FUN when everyone is sick.  Sick kids.  Not fun.  Sick Mom.  Not fun.  Sick Dad.  Definitely not FUN.  And then miraculously, everyone starts getting better! 

And we have FUN!  At Shades State Park.  Where they aren't collecting the usual $5 entrance fee because who in their right mind would want to tromp through the snow?  Us!  Our 1.2 mile hike took over two hours.  Obviously, we weren't going for speed. 

I love being outside, even if it is a little coldy.  I love my purple snow pants and lime green coat because they keep me warm and I will always be the first one found if we ever get lost.  I love all the winter gear we've accumulated that has made it possible to spend hours outside in brrr cold temperatures.

I love spending a Saturday doing this. 

Behind the falls on trail 2

Not this.

Last Saturday Mim slept until 5pm!

Bronx Zoo

The enclosure is open and the lemurs often have to be shooed back in by a zookeeper whose job it is to make sure they don't harass the patrons. 

I have to post some pictures from the Bronx zoo.  It's an amazing zoo and it's pay what you wish on Wednesdays.  What a deal!  We got to bring my nephew Tenney with us.  Isn't it funny how adding one kid to the mix makes it easier?  T is known for his dislike of using his own feet, but he was a speed demon with us.  He ran around the whole park leaving my girls in his dust.  And he shared his goldfish with me.  What a man!  Did I mention that he is super cute photogenic as well?  Next time I want to spend one on one time with each of the cousins.  It's so fun to get to know them as individuals. 

Snow Delay!

Am I the only parent who wakes up in the morning praying for a snow day?  The kids love school, but I love it when they're home and we get to have FUN in the morning.  Not rush, rush, rush. 

On Monday we baked some gingerbread cookies.  Today we shoveled snow and started making the steps from our back deck into a ramp for sledding.  So dangerous.  So FUN!  At first I was kind of bummed that our driveway is so long.  But then I realized that it gave us a whole lot of snow to use for our sled run.  Jesse wants me to come work out with him at the pool, but I think my 1 1/2 hour shovel fest will work for today. 

How is winter treating you in your neck of the planet? 

Children's Museum of Indiana

I love going on excursions with the kids.  Really.  I do.  I like exploring new places, checking our museums and parks, even cruising down the aisles of the international market is fun with them.  So last Friday we went to the Indianapolis Children's Museum.  The kids uncovered dinosaur bones, touched real fossils, saw the trains (couldn't help thinking of Antique's Roadshow), and rode the carousel.  There was also a really neat modern Egypt exhibit and a Barbie exhibit where the girls got to dress up, play fashion designer, and look at vintage Barbies. 

Fake FUN Me

I don't know why I feel compelled to be FUN mom, especially when Jesse is away. Honestly, I'm not that fun. I'm much better at keeping us organized, fed, clothed, well functioning than entertained. I rely heavily on Jesse to keep us FUN.

Since he's backpacking this week, I took the kids on some excursions. I think I was too tired and solo parenting for them to be too much fun. The Children's Museum was kind of boring for me(I mean, there was no way I was fitting in that lighthouse). I did enjoy using my mad cash register skilz when I rang up the kids' fake food purchases (campus bookstore. woot! woot!) Of course, we left the museum in a tizzy. Something about getting a head stuck in between the bars of the ship's hold. I wasn't sure of the details, just that Mermaid, Monkey and the little boy they were playing with were all crying.


Mackworth Island could not be deemed a death march as 1.5 flat miles is merely a stroll. Especially w/ swinging benches and regular benches every 15 feet. Not to mention the fairy village in the middle. Monkey did hike the whole time because she knows there is no way I can carry her. So I guess that was good. Mermaid's breakdown at leaving before furnishing her fairy house was not fun. Oh well.
(notice the plethora of fairy houses in the background. It's like the woodstock of fairyville)

Today we took it easy. Went to the toy library, dentist (after flaking once again and rescheduling. hello? brain? are you there?), library, and got LaRoche's seafood for dinner, then gymnastics. LaRoche's does a clam/lobster bake for $15. A lobster, 10-15 clams, red potatoes, and corn. It's all take-out and you order ahead. Love it! Can you say amazing feast for so cheap? Crazy! Mermaid couldn't come close to finishing her meal (Monkey had my corn and pb&j), so I think I'll make a chowder with the leftovers. I feel really, really bad that we didn't do it when Amy was here. Totally flaked on her lobster meal. I'd bring one down, but cold lobster and clams sounds kind of nasty.
So, the kids are smiling in all the photos. Everyone is still mostly happy. Monkey claims to a) miss her daddy (there was a breakdown about missing him 5 minutes after dropping him off) and b) that I don't love her (because I limit computer time and do not cuddle her when she comes in my room at 6 am). Otherwise we are happy as...well, not those clams, but ones still safely in the mud.

Rope Swing on the Nezinscott

So here are Jesse and Ada. Rockin' the ropeswing.

Monday-Kayak

Monday was a kayak trip down the Nezinscott river. Yes, J totally overscheduled us. Yes, our arms were killing us the next day (and the next). And Yes, we had FUN! Thanks for making the trip up north to see the MAIN(e) Palmers!

Sunday on Bailey Island

I love me a baby!

The Lobsterman statue

footsies, lupine (Miss Rumphius' flower)

Bailey Island is not too far from us and makes a beautiful Sunday drive. The kids couldn't stay out of the water, even though it wasn't that warm. Our second stop was the bay and tire swing at Bailey Island. How could we resist?